Richard Dunne was in Dublin yesterday to announce that eir broadband customers can now cast the eir Sport app to their TV, and that eir Sport will show Ireland’s friendly against Uruguay exclusively live this Sunday

Unlike his peer Damien Duff, Dunne does not pine for ­yesteryear when he was at the peak of his powers as one of the first names on an Ireland teamsheet.

A weekly five-a-side kick-about with some newly- acquainted friends and the odd visit to the Stade Louis II for a Champions League game ­provide him with an adequate dose of football.

That his eight-year-old son Tayo is taking to the game Dunne perfected over a near 20-year spell also heartens him.

Richard Dunne pictured during his legendary performance in Moscow six years ago

What does rile the gentle giant, however, is the contrast his offspring experienced when getting exposed to the different development structures in England and France.

For example, he was aghast to hear of his former club Everton imposing a weekly programme of yoga — for their Under-9 squad!

Dunne cites the recent England teams — traditionally strong in qualifying before crumbling at tournaments — as evidence of a flawed model.

And he is concerned the obsession with the English system in Irish clubs could completely dry up what is currently a trickle of talent from the underage ranks.

While content with Ireland’s strong first half of the World Cup qualifying campaign, the team’s inability to retain possession in the draw against Serbia on the opening night particularly galled the former Manchester City man.

This does not represent a new-found ideology for Dunne — the man forced into that unforgettable and near- miraculous goal-line clearance in the Euro 2012 qualifier against Russia in Moscow.

He was never slow during his own international career in slating Giovanni Trapattoni for failing to venture beyond the Plan A of a direct style.

Dunne said: “I was talking to Everton’s recruitment managers last week. They have their kids training four days per week with a match on a Saturday.

“Those include one-on-one coaching sessions, yoga, strength and conditioning and then hand coordination. These were Under-9s! That’s mad stuff.

“Players aren’t coming through Academies at all anymore. You’ve literally got, from the age of five, individuals doing the same training and they’re looking for just one player. It’s like a factory.

“I’ve been around to a few Academies and there’s no desire to build a team and let the kids enjoy themselves.

“England’s senior team is like a factory-produced side — they’re all pretty similar in terms of how they play. There are no standout players or character about the side.

“It’s just another team with them saying, ‘This is how we do it, pass it two yards without having to move’. Look at the English team, who in it would roll their sleeves up and fight?

“And it doesn’t look like it’s changing. They keep going with the same system.”

Watching first-hand how ­different the approach is in his new habitat, especially at Champions League semi-finalists Monaco, Dunne is not ­surprised at how far France are ahead of the English at ­international level.

He explained: “My son Tayo plays for Monaco and really enjoys it.

“They just train on a Wednesday and play their match on a Saturday.

“The rest of the time he plays with his friends outside on the road. Kids learn as much from playing six hours in the field than spending six hours throughout the week at club sessions trying to get fit.

“Kids don’t have coordination or power in their legs to run. Some develop at different paces. Monaco get that.

“They’re doing well and may be classed as this big club which must have a great ­Academy. But they don’t even have an Academy!

“For them, it’s a case of them deciding whether to spend ­millions and millions on an Academy, and maybe get one player per generation from it, or let the kids enjoy it and at 13 or 14 then decide to give them more training.

“A lot of their current first-team players were released from other clubs.

MOST READ SPORT

'scumbags'

Christie appeals for help tracking down sick thieves who stole charity donations